My usual end of season post is delayed because I’m behind on everything and don’t have much time to catch up. But I will eventually. Kyousougiga was a show I started midseason and almost missed. Despite that, it’s the only one I finished on time. It was just that good.

I had watched the OVA way back when and though pretty, it was confusing and disorienting. With that in mind and the billion shows I had to watch this season, I didn’t give this a second glance. It wasn’t until I heard everyone raving about it that I gave the first episode a shot. Boy am I glad I did. It would have been a shame if I missed out on AOTY.

I was going to give that title to Gatchaman Crowds originally because boy do I love me some GC but this show was downright amazing.

The first episode was sweet and funny and at the same time, melancholy. And it wasn’t until later on in the series that it becomes even more so. So if you thought there was an underlying sadness even before Koto had to leave, have fun.

But it was all that that I got hooked on. The next few episodes were a bit weird and while I wasn’t sure I’d like Koto as much, she really grew on me. She has some phenomenal growth. Even seeing her as a kid, it takes a few episodes before she stops just being a playful, kinda genki girl and reveals that even she has insecurities. Not just problems but real, honestly relatable concerns that made her so endearing. And it goes on from there getting progressively worse. But she grows from that, she maintains her cheerfulness despite the things that happen.

Myoue also ended up being a pretty interesting character though not to the extent of Koto. There were just so many characters that it was hard to dislike any of them. Inari was in that spot for awhile but the show deliberately makes you feel that way. Boy does episode nine ever do a good job of setting you up and then knocking you down. There were a lot of hard to watch scenes and I’m sure I teared up a bit once The Secret of my Life started playing (boy, Aimee B has been busy this year!).

Really though, Shouko, Kanojo, the shrine girl (making “my grandmother is dead” so much sadder), A and Un, Fushimi and especially Yase were all such likable characters. Heck, even Kurama wasn’t so bad some of the time. What made this show so good was that the whole cast was fantastic and likable.

I did like how though it was so confusing at first, things just fell into place and afterwards it was pretty easy to understand. A reveal in the last episode made me go “ohhhhhhhhh” out loud because I hadn’t expected it and was so well done. Though honestly there were still a few things I didn’t really understand but it wasn’t enough to mar my enjoyment like I originally expected this series would.

Kyousougiga was a simple and complex anime about family that captured my heart and interest from the very first episode. I’m so glad I didn’t miss out on it because it’s probably one of the best things I’ve watched all year. Both for its visuals and for its story.